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Johannesburg - Kumba Iron Ore [JSE:KIO] said on Monday it had obtained a Labour Court order‚ forcing striking workers at its Sishen mine to leave the premises immediately‚ following their failure to appear before the disciplinary hearing this morning.
String employees have been ordered not to be within 500m of
the property.
“Should they not leave the mine immediately‚ the South
African Police Service has been ordered by the court to remove them‚” Kumba
spokesperson Gert Schoeman said.
He said the miners - estimated to be fewer than 120 - would
mostly likely be dismissed and criminal charges would be formulated against
them.
“They had until 11am this morning to report for a
disciplinary hearing for embarking on an illegal strike. The criminal charges
include extortion‚ intimidation‚ theft‚ trespassing and malicious damage to
property‚” Schoeman said.
The strike‚ which began on October 3‚ has cost SA’s biggest
iron producer more than R1.2bn in lost revenue.
The strikers are demanding a monthly salary increase of R15
000 for all Kumba employees. Their current salary range from R12 000 to R31 000
a month‚ excluding housing allowances‚ bonuses and other benefits‚ according to
the company.
Last week‚ the miners made off with equipment worth R3.3bn‚
threatening to destroy it if their demands were not met.
At 2pm on Monday Kumba’s share price was down 1.28% at R492.59‚ valuing the company at R15.864bn.
